- Daily Business News From Throughout North Carolina -

For the third consecutive year, f8 Photo Studios, a professional, award-winning photography studio based in Raleigh, is both sponsoring and providing photography for the 2019 “Cooking for a Classic” fundraiser to benefit the Lucy Daniels Center in Cary.

The Lucy Daniels Center provides mental health programs and services for children. Cara Powell, f8 Photo Studios’ owner and lead photographer, has served on the Center’s “Cooking for a Classic” steering committee for the past three years.

This sponsorship is part of f8 Photo Studios’ ongoing involvement with charitable efforts in the Triangle, including The Oak City Outreach Center and the Holt Brothers Foundation. According to Powell, photography for “Cooking for a Classic” represents an in-kind donation of approximately $10,000.

“Cooking for a Classic” is a three-week, “sweet 16” tournament-style competition that began February 25 and concludes on March 11. Eight of the Triangle’s top chefs compete over the course of six evenings at various locations. Each chef uses secret ingredients to create three dishes per night. Ticketed guests vote anonymously, along with a panel of professional chefs, to determine which competitors move on to the next round. The ultimate prize is a classic car -- a restored 1981 Jeep Scrambler -- or $15,000 in cash for the team.

“I love this event so much,” Powell said recently. “I am proud to have participated since its inception and I look forward to continuing in my efforts to raise money for such a worthy cause.”